Hans Urs von Balthasar
Hans Urs von Balthasar (12 August 1905 – 26 June 1988) was a Swiss theologian and Catholic priest who is considered one of the most important Catholic theologians of the 20th century.[13] With Joseph Ratzinger and Henri de Lubac, he founded the theological journal Communio. Over the course of his life, he authored 85 books, over 500 articles and essays, and almost 100 translations.[14] He is known for his 15-volume trilogy on beauty (The Glory of the Lord), goodness (Theo-Drama), and truth (Theo-Logic).
The ReverendHans Urs von Balthasar
12 August 1905
26 June 1988 (aged 82)
26 July 1936 (priest) by Cardinal Faulhaber
- Rudolf Allers[1]
- Anselm of Canterbury[2]
- Thomas Aquinas[3]
- Karl Barth[4]
- Martin Buber
- Henri de Lubac
- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe[5]
- Romano Guardini
- G. W. F. Hegel[5]
- Friedrich Hölderlin[5]
- Ignatius of Loyola[6]
- Irenaeus[7]
- Maximus the Confessor[8]
- Origen
- Plato[5]
- Erich Przywara[5][9]
- Adrienne von Speyr[10]
Pope John Paul II announced his choice of Balthasar to become a cardinal, but he died shortly before the consistory. Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) said in his funeral oration for Balthasar that "he is right in what he teaches of the faith" and that he "points the way to the sources of living water."[15]
Theology[edit]
Along with Karl Rahner and Bernard Lonergan, Balthasar sought to offer a response to Western modernity, which posed a challenge to traditional Catholic thought.[13]: 262 While Rahner offered a progressive, accommodating position on modernity and Lonergan worked out a philosophy of history that sought to critically appropriate modernity, Balthasar resisted the reductionism and human focus of modernity, wanting Christianity to be more challenging toward modern sensibilities.;[13]: 262 [65] Balthasar is eclectic in his approach, sources, and interests and remains difficult to categorize.[13]: 2 An example of his eclecticism was his long study and conversation with the influential Reformed Swiss theologian Karl Barth, on whose work he wrote the first Catholic analysis and response. Although Balthasar's major points of analysis on Barth's work have been disputed, his book The Theology of Karl Barth: Exposition and Interpretation (1951) remains a classic work for its sensitivity and insight; Barth himself agreed with its analysis of his own theological enterprise, calling it the best book on his own theology.[66] A distinctive thought in Balthasar's work is that our first experience after birth is the face of love of our mothers, where the "I" encounters for the first time the "Thou", and the "Thou" smiles in a relationship of love and sustenance.[13]: 236
Writings and thought[edit]
Trilogy[edit]
Balthasar was better known for his sixteen-volume systematic theological "trilogy", published between 1961 and 1987, with a concluding "epilog" ("epilogue"). It is called a trilogy because it is divided into three parts: Herrlichkeit (The Glory of the Lord), Theodramatik (Theo-Drama), and Theologik (Theo-Logic). They follow the threefold self-description of Jesus in the Gospel of John 14:6 ("I am the way, the truth, and the life") and therefore the transcendentals bonum, verum, and pulchrum (the good, the true, and the beautiful),[67][68] although the trilogy begins with Herrlichkeit, a study of the pulchrum, the beautiful.
Reception[edit]
Pope Benedict XVI described Balthasar and Henri de Lubac as the two theologians he appreciated the most. In a 2016 interview, he claimed he shared an "inward intention" and "vision" with Balthasar, remarking positively, "It is unbelievable what this person has written and done."[104]
Balthasar's dramatic theory in Theo-Drama influenced the work of Raymund Schwager.[105]
Balthasar's major writings have been translated into English, and the journal he co-founded with Henri de Lubac, Karl Lehmann, and Joseph Ratzinger, Communio, currently appears in 12 languages. In delivering his eulogy, Ratzinger, quoting de Lubac, called Balthasar "perhaps the most cultured man of our time".[106]
Balthasar has also been highly influential in the work of Bishop Robert Barron, who has been an ardent advocate of Balthasar's soteriology.[107]
The most comprehensive printed bibliography (223 pages, including translations up to 2005) now available of all of Balthasar's writings is Capol, Cornelia; Müller, Claudia, eds. (2005). Hans Urs von Balthasar: Bibliographie 1925-2005. Einsiedeln: Johannes Verlag. ISBN 978-3894110291.
Introductory studies
In-depth studies
Additional bibliographical and biographical information
Criticisms and commentaries